“It must be so much cheaper for you to live in the country!” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this in the year and a half since Mr. Frugalwoods, Babywoods, and I made the move from ultra-urban Cambridge, MA to ultra-rural central Vermont. The thing is, it’s not true. Or at least, it’s not entirely true and it’s not true yet. Why Did We Move To The Woods? We didn’t make this...
I didn’t want to write this post. Or more accurately, I didn’t want to have to ever write this post. I am sad to share that Frugal Hound died unexpectedly last week. We are grieving and still reeling from how quickly she left us, but I felt it was important to let all of you know about her passing since she was such an integral part of Frugalwoods and of our family. The Blessing And...
Welcome to my monthly Reader Suggestions feature! Every month I post a question to our Frugalwoods Facebook group and share the best responses here. The questions are topics I’ve received multiple queries on and my hope is that by leveraging the braintrust of Frugalwoods nation, you’ll find helpful advice and insight. Join the Frugalwoods Facebook group to participate in next month’s Reader Suggestions! Families do not always agree. Understatement of the year, perhaps? It’s true, sometimes our blood relatives are profoundly out...
I reorganized our house. And by “reorganized,” I mean I went through every single closet, drawer, cabinet, and shelf, and every single t-shirt, shampoo bottle, and Christmas decoration that we own. And by “house,” I mean all of it: from the front hall to the basement to the new baby’s room, I systematically deconstructed every single inch of our living space. Even the guest bathroom, which, as it turned out, was harboring a most random...
I am delighted that this month’s Reader Case Study features a subject who is older than me! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to bring you the story of Lucy, an active 57-year-old nurse with questions on her retirement and next career. Much as I love all the younguns’ I’ve featured in Case Studies, I was over the moon when I received Lucy’s email and her request to serve as a Case Study...
If you’re just tuning in, this is a recurring series in which I document each month of our lives out here on our 66-acre Vermont homestead. After leaving urban Cambridge, MA in May 2016 to chart this wholly different life, we’re experiencing a constant learning curve of exploration (and plenty of stupid novice moments). Check out last month’s installment here and enjoy the best and worst (ok, mostly the worst) moments of our first year on the homestead here. December 2017 December blew...
December was a rather regular month of spending for us, which might come as a surprise since Christmas happens in December after all. But here in Frugalwoods-land, Christmas and other such events are not an excuse to spend tons of money. We prefer to celebrate in a simplified, non-consumer-focused style that emphasizes time spent together as a family–not money spent at a mall. I’ve detailed our frugal approach to the holidays (including birthdays and anniversaries)...
Update 1/2/18: We had some technical difficulties here at Frugalwoods, Inc yesterday (could be due to the fact that 1/2 of our tech team is a greyhound… ) and some folks reported they were unable to sign-up for the Uber Frugal Month Challenge. The horror! And so, I’m keeping registration open through 11:59pm EST tonight (1/2/18) to allow everyone to sign-up. If you’re having trouble with the sign-up boxes below, go to this link. As...
